Although she has slipped a bit from where she was a few years ago, former #1 Caroline Wozniacki has a huge opportunity to take a step back towards the top of the game as she beat Angelique Kerber 2-6 6-4 7-5 to advance to the final of the 2013 BNP Paribas Open at Indian Wells. Early on, Angelique looked like she had Caro’s number but somewhere in the mid second set she just stopped being as aggressive as she was in the beginning. Was it her back bothering her again? If so, maybe she should heed Lindsay Davenport’s advice and give it a rest until she is healthy. Or was it simply Wozniacki putting more pressure on her? Kerber is great, but sometimes it seems the pressure can get to her. She starts talking to herself and snapping at her player’s box, meanwhile having her game fall apart. Whatever it was, credit must be given to Caroline. This is the opportunity she needs to give herself a massive boost of confidence. Going into the final, she will be the underdog on paper, but she can win.

Maria Sharapova (click to enlarge)

It’s a winnable match because Caroline has shown she can play with Maria Sharapova, her final opponent. Add into the mix that Masha had some service yips in her 6-4 6-3 victory over fellow Russian Maria Kirilenko. She survived those yips against Kirilenko, but I wouldn’t suggest she tempt fate against Wozniacki. Sharapova needs to serve well to beat Caroline. In fact, if she does serve well, she wins in straight sets. If her serve and/or groundstrokes are yippy then she is in trouble. Can’t afford to give free points to Caro. It should be a really interesting final. As I say, on paper it should be Masha’s win. But any yips from Sharapova could open the door for Wozniacki.